Household appliances are utilized generally for a variety of tasks by a variety of users. For example, a household may include such appliances as laundry appliances, e.g., a washer and/or dryer, kitchen appliances, e.g., a refrigerator, a microwave, and/or a coffee maker, along with room air conditioners and other various appliances. Generally, a user must manually activate such appliances in order to utilize the basic functions of the appliances.
Some household appliances can also include features for automating some or all of the basic functions of the appliance. For example, a detector might be provided to detect the presence of a user and activate the appliance in response. Such detectors generally include an emitter and a sensor. The emitter may be configured for generating waves, while the sensor may be configured for sensing such waves when the waves are reflected back towards the detector by one or more objects in proximity to the detector. It is typically desired to make such detectors as small as possible, which usually entails positioning the emitter and the sensor in close proximity to one another within a housing. However, this may permit a prohibitive amount of signals, e.g., reflected waves, to be transmitted through the housing from the emitter to the sensor, without the emitted wave first being reflected off a target outside the housing and/or appliance. This is also referred to as crosstalk. Crosstalk may inhibit the detectors' ability to detect one or more objects within a proximity of the sensor assembly. In some detectors, a physical barrier is included to attempt to reduce crosstalk, which increases the expense and complexity of the detector. Further, in some detectors, the power level of the emitter may be reduced in attempt to reduce crosstalk, which may also inhibit the efficiency and sensitivity of the detector.
Accordingly, there exists a need for an appliance with a detector for detecting a user's presence where crosstalk is reduced or eliminated without adding physical barriers or optical coatings which are costly and have limited effectiveness.